Air Force One Subject of Internet Hoax

[DoYouEverWonder]

April 21, 2006

WASHINGTON - A startling Internet video that shows someone spraying graffiti on President Bush's jet looked so authentic that the Air Force wasn't immediately certain whether the plane had been targeted.

It was all a hoax. No one actually sprayed the slogan "Still Free" on the cowling of Air Force One.

<snip>

After the video began circulating on the Web on Tuesday, the Air Force checked to see whether the plane had been vandalized.

"We're looking at it, too," said Lt. Col. Bruce Alexander, a spokesman for the Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing, which operates Air Force One. "It looks very real."

Alexander later confirmed that no such spray-painting had occurred.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060422/ap_on_hi_te/air_force_one_hoax;_ylt=A9FJqaDD_ElEpwUAFQ.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-


The pic of AF1 with the spray paint was posted in GD a few days ago. It was debunkied in about 2 seconds. Seems it took the AF a bit longer to figure it out.

[wakeme2008]

1. I would LOVE to believe that the Air Force

was not sure it was real, because they knew a lot of people in the AF do not like him.

IMHO the crew of AF1 is getting tire of taking Bush on all his trips. No President before Bush has made so many trips on it.

[fleabert]

2. self delete nt

[Longhorn]

3. I missed the debunking.

Ecko declined to say how much the stunt cost.

"It's not cheap," he said. "You have to be rich."

[lostexpectation]

6. "It's not cheap," he said. "You have to be rich."

that about sums up ecko's philosophy in life!!

[kestrel91316]

4. It took them a couple of days to figure out if it was true??????

Why couldn't they just go out and actually LOOK at AF1 on the tarmac and see if it had been spray-painted????

It would have taken me about 5 minutes. I guess that's why I am a cat vet and they are in charge of our country's air defense.

Sheesh.

[Bush_MUST_Go]

5. Days to figure out? I don't think so.

I think bush & his cohorts figured they would use this hoax to their advantage. Raise the 'terra' alert & remind everyone how competent they really are.

[Ian David]

7. The artist said on his own web page that it was a hoax...

and now I wonder how much taxpayer money the Air Farce spent "investigating" this.

[jwirr]

8. I doubt that they would tell us if it was true.

[anotherdrew]

9. doesn't a hoax have to be somewhat believable? It was clearly fake n/t

[HuffleClaw]

10. i just bet this guy ends being charged by bush's gestapo

for some trumped up 'national security threat' or something. no WAY will they let him get away with this.

[DrBloodmoney]

11. As they say on teh interweb

LOL pwned haxxor!!!